Tool and detachable handle therefor



Oct. 24, 1950 w. J. CLEARY ET AL 2,527,492

TOOL AND DETACHABLE HANDLE THEREFOR Filed June 7, 1949 Zhwentors H LZZLa/M J CZeary f/ahmorz J: Cook Patented Oct. 24, 1950 TOOL AND DETACHABLE HANDLE THEREFOR William J. Cleary, Bridgeport, and Harmon J.

Cook, Litchfield, Conn., assignors to The Cornwall & Patterson Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application June 7, 1949, Serial No. 97,542

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to a tool and a detachable handle therefor.

In hand-operated tools, such as screw drivers and the like, it is frequently necessary to drive screws of different types and different sizes in performing an operation and one is required to have a screw driver for each size or type screw in order to efficiently perform his operation.

The present invention overcomes this difficulty by providing a tool in which a plurality of readily detachable and replaceable bit means may be associated with a single handle as required.

This is accomplished by providing the handle with a bit-receiving socket having therein means for yieldably holding the bit in operative position in the socket, means for engaging the inner end of the bit to carry the load thereon, and means for cooperating with the bit to prevent relative rotation of the bit and handle.

In the more specific aspects of the invention, the socket is provided with a member adjacent its mouth having spring fingers projecting for frictionally retaining the bit in the socket.

The socket is formed with recesses adjacent the mouth which receive and cooperate with projections on the bit to prevent rotation between the bit and handle. I

The handle may be made of Wood, plastic or other suitable handle material and, in order to protect the mouth of the socket and the recesses, a metal liner is provided to overlie walls of the socket and recess which provides a contact means for engaging the bit and the projections 'on the bit.

In order to carry the load of the bit as the screw or the like is driven by the tool, a bearing plate is provided at th end of the socket and against which the inner end of the bit rests.

A feature of the invention is the simplicity by which bits may be changed by a straight outward pull on the bit without the use of tools or other mechanism.

If desired, a two-ended reversible bit having a different tool on each end may be employed.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows an assembled screw driver bit and handle with the handle in section.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the handle.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the bit.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the liner members.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the handle looking alon line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 of Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawings, the present invention consists essentially of a novel handle structure Ill for detacha-bly mounting a tool carrying bit ll. While the bit can have a tool at one end only, in the illustrated form of the invention the bit is formed as a cylindrical member l2 having a flat blade [3 which is adapted to be inserted into the usual slot in the head of a screw or th like and at its other end a cruciform tool l4 adapted to be inserted into the crossed slots in a recessed head type of screw. It is to be understood, however, that bits having other combinations of screw driver blades or other tools embodied on each end thereof may be used as required.

While the handle ID for receiving the bit may be made of various materials, such as wood, bakew lite or the like, it is herein illustrated as beingv formed of a plastic material, such as butyrate, and is providedwith the usual ribbed or roughened exterior grip surface l5 as shown in Fig. 5 and. with a socket I6 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 extending therein to a depth as required for the bits to be received thereby.

Adjacent the mouth of the socket there is provided a pair of opposed recesses I! to provide an out of round section to cooperate with a com plementary out of round section provided by projections or wings l8 formed on the bit intermediate the ends thereof when the bit is in position as shown in Fig. 6 so as to hold the bit against relative rotation with respect to the handle.

It is at present preferred to line the socket adjacent the mouth thereof with a metal liner to protect the walls thereof against excessive wear. While this liner may be made as a one-piece unit, it is at present preferred to form it by means of two identical liner members l9, such as shown in Fig. 4, which are positioned in face to face relation as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. These members can .be easily stamped and formed from strip metal and being identical require only a single set of dies. Each comprises a curved central section 20 adapted to overlie the walls of the socket adjacent the mouth between the opposed recesses and is provided with extensions 2| which project outwardly therefrom and overlie the adjacent walls of the recesses with the ends 22 of the extensions embedded in the body as shown in Fig. 6 to lock the members in place.

The two members when positioned in face to face relation in the socket and the recesses provide a reinforcement for the mouth of the socket and the recesses and prevent these surfaces from breaking down and rendering the device inopera-' tive for its intended purpose by destroying the control of the bit at this point.

In order to insure that the blade is retained in the socket the members I9 are provided with resilient means in the form of spring fingers 23 which project from the inner end thereof inwardly toward the axis of the socket to be engaged by the blade when it is put in position and to frictionally grip the blade and hold it in position. It is at present preferred to curve the fingers to conform to the bit as shown in Fig. 4 so that they will engage a large surface on the bit.

In order to carry the load of the inward thrust on the tool as the tool is being operated, the handle is provided at the bottom of the bore with a metal bearing block 24, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and against which the end of the bit rests when the bit is full inserted.

In use, if only two tools are needed in the operation, a reversible bit, such as shown in Fig. 3, may be used and may be readily withdrawn and reversed to present the desired tool by a single smooth straight line movement. If the operation requires more than two tools then a plurality of individual bits having a tool at one end may be used and the required bit readily inserted and removed from the handle by a straight line movement. In all cases, relative rotative movement between the bit and handle is resisted by theinterengagement of the projections and recesses on the bit and handle and the bit is held against unintentional displacement by the spring fingers which grip the side of the bit to frictionally hold it in place. The mouth of the socket in the handle is protected against damage and breakdown during the removal and insertion of the bit and by the rotative force applied to the handle by the projections on the bit while in use. The bearing block 24 in the bottom of the socket will, of course, limit the insertion of the various bits into the socket and will carry the load of the inward thrust in the tool as the tool is being used.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

We claim:

1. A tool comprising a handle having a bit-receiving socket therein and at least one recess in the wall of the socket adjacent the mouth thereof; a metallic member in the handle having portions extending over the walls of said recess, said member having spring fingers at the inner end extending into the socket; and a detachable bit having at least one projection intermediate the ends thereof, said bit being gripped by the spring fingers and the projection extending into said recess when the bit is fully inserted into the socket.

2. A tool comprising a handle having a bit-receiving socket therein, said socket having opposed recesses in the wall thereof adjacent the mouth; a metallic liner disposed within the socket adjacent the mouth and having portions extending over the walls of said recesses, and having spring fingers at the inner end extending into the socket; and a reversible two-ended bit having projecting wings intermediate the ends thereof, said bit being gripped by the spring fingers and the wings projecting into said recesses when the bit is fully inserted, either end first, into the socket.

3. A tool comprising a handle having a body provided with a bit-receiving socket therein, said socket having opposed recesses in the wall adjacent the mouth; a metallic liner disposed within the socket and comprising a pair of identical members; each having portions overlying the wall of the socket between the recesses and extensions at each side extending over the adjacent walls of said recesses with the ends embedded in the body, and having spring fingers at the inner end extending into the socket; and a reversible bit having projecting wings intermediate the ends thereof, said bit being gripped by the spring fingers and the wings projecting into said recesses when the bit is inserted, either end first, into the socket.

4. A tool comprising a handle having a bit-receiving socket therein, said socket having opposed recesses in the wall adjacent the mouth; a metallic liner disposed within the socket and having portions extending over'the Walls'of said recesses, and having spring fingers at the inner end extending into the socket; a bearing plate at the base of thesocket; and a detachable, re-

versible two-ended bit having projecting wingsintermediate the ends thereof, the inner end of said bit engaging the bearing plate and the bit being gripped by the spring fingers and the Wings projecting into said recesses when the bit is inserted, either end first, into the socket.

5. A screw driver comprising a handle having a bit-receiving socket therein, said socket having opposed recesses in the wall thereof adjacent the mouth; a metallic liner disposed within the socket adjacent the mouth and having" portions extending over the walls of said recesses, and having sprin fingers at the inner end extending into the socket; and a reversible bit having a screw-engaging tool at each end having projecting wings intermediate the ends thereof, said bit being gripped by the spring fingers and the wings projecting into said recesses when the bit is fully inserted, either end first, into the socket.

6. A tool handle for a bit having lateral projections comprising a body having a bit-receiving socket therein, said socket having opposed recesses in the wall thereof adjacent the mouth; and a metallic member disposed within. the socket adjacent the mouth thereof and having portions extending over the walls of said recesses and embedded in said body, and yieldable portions spaced from the walls of the socket and frictionally gripping the bit to hold it in the socket, said recesses being adapted to receive projections on the bit to hold the handle against rotation with respect to said bit.

'7. A tool handle for a reversible bit havinglateral projections intermediate the ends and" a tool at each end comprisin a body having 23bit receiving socket therein, said socket having opposed recesses in the wall thereof adjacent the mouth and a bearing member at the base thereof; and a metallic'member disposed within the socket adjacent the mouth thereof and having portions extending over the walls of said recessesand embedded in said body, and portions frictionally gripping the bit to hold it in the socket with the unexposed tool in engagement with the bearing member, said recesses being adapted to receive projections on the bit to hold thehandle against rotation with respect to said bit.

8. A tool handle for a bit having lateral projections comprising a :body having a bit receiving socket therein, said socket having opposed recesses in the wall thereof adjacent the mouth;

and a metallic liner disposed within the socket adjacent the mouth thereof and having portions extending over the walls of said recesses, and having spring fingers at the inner end extending into the socket and adapted to frictionaily grip the bit and hold the bit in the socket, said recesses being adapted to receive the projections on the bit to hold the handle against rotation with respect to said bit.

9. A tool handle for a bit having lateral projections comprising a body havin a bit-receiving socket therein, said socket having opposed recesses in the wall thereof adjacent the mouth; and a liner disposed within the socket adjacent the mouth thereof, said liner comprising a plurality of metal pieces, each having portions extending over the walls of said socket between said recesses withextensions overlying the walls of adjacent recesses and having the ends thereof embedded in the body, and having spring fingers 6 at the inner end extending into the socket and adapted to frictionally grip the bit and hold it in the socket, said recesses being adapted to receive the projections on the bit to hold the handle against rotation with respect to said hit.

\IVILLIAM J. CLEARY. EARMON J. COOK.

REFERENQES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Nurn'eer Name Date 93,951 Poindexter Mar. 25, 1890 1,391,242 Butler Sept. 20, 1921 1,935,748 Hoff Nov. 21, 1933 2,871,659 Underwood et a1. Feb. 16, 1937 2,378,775 Johnson June 19, 1945 

